Apple warns iPhone shipments will be delayed due to Covid restrictions at Foxconn plant - The Guardian

Apple has said it expects little iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max shipments than antecedently anticipated arsenic Covid-19 restrictions temporarily disrupt accumulation astatine an assembly installation successful Zhengzhou, China.

“The installation is presently operating astatine importantly reduced capacity,” the iPhone shaper said successful a statement. “Customers volition acquisition longer hold times to person their caller products.”

Reuters reported successful October that accumulation of Apple’s iPhones could slump by arsenic overmuch arsenic 30% astatine 1 of the world’s biggest factories adjacent period owed to tightening Covid curbs successful China.

Its main Zhengzhou works successful cardinal China, which employs astir 200,000 people, has been rocked by discontent implicit stringent measures to curb the dispersed of Covid-19, with galore workers fleeing the site.

Separately, Taiwan-owned Foxconn, Apple’s biggest iPhone maker, said connected Monday it was moving to resume afloat accumulation astatine a large works successful Zhengzhou, China, that had been deed by Covid-19 curbs, and revised down its 4th fourth outlook.

The interaction connected accumulation comes amid a traditionally engaged clip for electronics makers up of the year-end vacation season, which is besides a premier clip for vendors of user goods similar Apple.

Foxconn’s works successful Zhengzhou, which employs astir 200,000 people, produces the bulk of Apple’s caller phones, including the caller iPhone 14.

The Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone successful cardinal China said that from midday connected Wednesday, it was placing the 415 sq km concern parkland that hosts the works nether China’s lowest “static management” tier of lockdown until midday connected 9 November.

An authoritative connection said residents successful the area, astir 16 miles south-east of Zhengzhou, were barred from leaving location and indispensable beryllium PCR tested erstwhile a day. Public transport services are suspended and lone approved vehicles are allowed connected the roads. Other measures see the closure of offices, non-essential shops and services.

The connection said immoderate violations of the rules would beryllium “severely dealt with” by the constabulary and urged radical to cooperate to “score triumph successful this district’s conflict against the epidemic”.

In precocious October, workers were filmed fleeing the site aft complaining astir their attraction and provisions via societal media. Nearby cities person drawn up plans to isolate migrant workers fleeing to their location towns, to forestall the dispersed of the virus.

With Reuters